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Columbia

Columbia

"When I consider the excessively small amount of labor required in this country [Amazonia] to convert the virgin forest into green meadows and fertile plantations, I almost long to come over with half a dozen friends disposed to work and enjoy the country; and show the inhabitants how soon an earthly paradise might be created." —Alfred Wallace, 19th-century British naturalist

The forest does not advertise itself; the overwhelming impression is of a green stillness. The newcomer sees little movement or color. It helps to be quiet, to have an eye for detail, and to know where to look; it is even better to have a companion who knows the forest well." —Catherine Caufield, In the Rainforest (1985)

"Perhaps one in 10 to one in 20 species in the tropics are known to science. How can conservation work in the face of this degree of ignorance? How can economic development be guided in a more benign direction?"